Compared with last year at this time, springer prices have nearly doubled, and heifer-calf prices have more than tripled. While this is a healthy increase, today’s prices still hover at or below the cost of production, according to University of Wisconsin researchers.

The researchers recently reported that the cost of raising a heifer calf from birth to weaning at 7.6 weeks in 2013 was $363.69, and from birth to freshening at 23.4 months was $2,377. Both figures assume an initial value of $150 per calf.

New offspring are the wellspring of any dairy farm. New genetics, improved efficiency and greater milk production potentials all play into the profitability of the replacement herd. That is why the I-29 Extension Dairy Consortium is hosting a calf and heifer tour Dec. 11.

The tour is part of the consortium’s theme for 2015, “Raising Your Best Calf Ever.” Note that this four-state effort is included as part of the I-29 Dairy Conference. However, this year, we are bringing the conference to each state as opposed to our traditional one-day conference in Sioux Falls, S.D.

This “Boots on the Farm” tour also will kick off our winter educational series by the same name scheduled for Jan. 5-8, 2015. North Dakota producers should plan to attend our local sessions on Thursday, Jan. 8, in Mandan at the Seven Seas Inn. While the details for the workshop will be promoted soon, I am pleased that Minnesota Extension dairy educators have lined up a series of calf and heifer operators willing to share their success strategies with us.

Here is the schedule for the Dec. 11 calf and heifer fall growers tour. Attendees can meet in Brookings, S.D., or Marshall, Minn.

The tour registration fee is $75 with van transportation or $50 if you drive. The fee does not include travel to and from North Dakota. I am planning travel options. If you are interested in being part of this tour, call (701) 231-7663 or email [email protected] no later than Dec. 8.

All of the workshops will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Session topics will include:

Nutrition and research with distillers grains

What works for ventilation

Ten years of calf research at the University of Minnesota’s Southern Research and Outreach Center

Pros and cons of automatic calf feeders

Calf health, with a focus on respiratory diseases

Heifer calves are the future of the herd. Whether you raise your own or contract with others, raising the best heifer ever will go a long way toward ensuring success of the milking herd.

The workshop hosts are the I-29 Dairy Conference partners: North Dakota State University, Iowa State University, South Dakota State University, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska, Midwest Dairy Association and Minnesota Department of Agriculture.